What are the dates of Mount Kilauea's most recent eruptions?

This is an excerpt of a report on the status of Kilauea volcanic activity (available at http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/activity/kilaueastatus.php). Activity Summary: The eruption is 30 years old today with only a modest slowdown in activity. Kilauea continued to erupt at two locations: At the summit, DI ('deflation-inflation') deflation and descent of the lava lake surface continued.

At Pu`u `O`o crater, glow was visible from the usual sources. To the southeast of Pu`u `O`o, a lava flow was active on the coastal plain and was entering the ocean at several locations along the flow front. Seismic tremor levels were low and gas emissions were elevated.

Recent Observations at Kilauea summit: The summit tiltmeter network continued recording DI deflation totaling almost 5 microradians by this morning. The lava lake surface rose and fell (rise/fall events) during most of yesterday before resuming its descent early this morning. Because of the low lava level, veneer on the walls of the conduit started peeling off and falling into the lake with the first big chunk falling in around 6 am yesterday and several smaller pieces joining it in the lake during the day.

The most recent (preliminary) sulfur dioxide emission rate measurement was 400 tonnes/day on January 2, 2013; the relatively low emissions measured yesterday were typical of the reduced emissions observed during rise/fall events. A very small amount of ash-sized tephra (mostly fresh spatter bits and Pele's hair) was carried out of the vent in the gas plume and deposited on nearby surfaces. Background: The summit lava lake is deep within an ~160 m (520 ft) diameter cylindrical vent with nearly vertical sides inset within the east wall and floor of Halema`uma`u Crater.

Its level has varied from about 25 m to more than 200 m (out of sight) below the floor of Halema`uma`u Crater. The vent has been mostly active since opening with a small explosive event on March 19, 2008. The surface level of the lava lake has remained below the inner ledge (~31 m or 100 ft below the floor of Halema`uma`u Crater on October 29, 2012) and has not risen above and flooded the ledge since October 28, 2012.

The lake level responds to summit tilt changes with the lake receding during deflation and rising during inflation. Recent Observations at the middle east rift zone vents: There was an apparent decrease in activity on the coastal plain. An approximately 1 km-wide (0.6 mi wide) lava flow remained active on the coastal plain with scattered surface activity extending from mid-coastal plain to the coast and straddling the easternmost boundary of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park; activity levels appeared to decrease over the past 24 hours, possibly due to the ongoing DI deflation.

Webcams recorded weak ocean entry plumes yesterday and this morning suggesting that lava was sporadically entering the ocean at multiple locations. Background: The eruption in Kilauea's middle east rift zone started with a fissure eruption on January 3, 1983, and continued with few interruptions at Pu`u `O`o Cone, or temporarily from vents within a few kilometers to the east or west. A fissure eruption on the upper east flank of Pu`u `O`o Cone on Sept. 21, 2011, drained the lava lakes and fed a lava flow that advanced southeast through the abandoned Royal Gardens subdivision to the ocean within Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park in early December 2011.

Since late December 2011, the flows have remained intermittently active on the pali and the coastal plain and finally re-entered the ocean starting on November 24, 2012. In general, activity waxes with inflation and wanes with deflation.